Master
of all he surveys, the noble and majestic stallion is the quintessential
equine and is exalted above all other horses and rightly so, for the
truly exceptional specimen of the species, however, only a very small
percentage of stallions deserve this esteemed status. Far too many
genetically inferior horses are kept as stallions simply because their
owners think it is “cool” or “macho” to be
able to brag that they own a stallion. This poor horse, driven mad
by his raging hormones, would have a much happier life as a gelding.
Instead of frustration, neurosis, and solitary confinement as a stallion
he could be enjoying life in the pasture hanging out with his buddies
and going on interesting rides with his owner alongside other horses.

As
far as the breeding stallion, this horse should be the prime example
of the best of the breed, the top one half of one percent. He should
meet a rarefied level of refinement in confirmation, ability and character.
The stallion standing at stud should be as close as possible to perfect
in every way. A horse of near perfect genetics should certainly be
procreating and passing on his superior qualities to many offspring.
On the other hand, a great disservice is done to the entire breed
by continuing to stand at stud any stallion that does not fully measure
up to an extremely high standard. Unfortunately many undeserving stallions
are breeding and passing on their less than stellar genetics in the
form of poor confirmation, nasty dispositions and inferior athletic
ability. This random breeding of many average, back yard stallions
only serves to dilute and reduce the overall quality of the breed.

It
may be a hard pill to swallow but, to be a responsible horse owner
is to be able to look with complete objectivity at your stallion and
honestly question whether he truly measures up to the highest standard
in every way. If you, as a stallion owner, cannot truly be objective
then be responsible enough to have a qualified expert evaluate your
stallion for desired breeding traits. Instead of standing your below
standard stallion at stud simply to satisfy your own ego, do the right
thing and be prepared to have him gelded if, after objective evaluation,
he is not truly of exceptional breeding quality. As a gelding he will
have a better life, be safer and more useful to you recreationally
and you will be helping to preserve high genetic standards in the
equine population.

Owning
and housing a breeding stallion is not a venture to enter into lightly.
The management of a stallion is a huge responsibility which requires
a high level of experience and well developed horsemanship skills.
The housing of a stallion requires a well thought out handling plan
which includes the proper facilities featuring separated paddock with
stall constructed of substantial material. Even armed with skills,
knowledge and experience one can never let down their guard in the
vicinity of a stallion.

As
a 13 year old boy, I rode my little Quarter Horse mare over to my
neighbor’s ranch to visit one day. Only moments after my arrival
my neighbor’s stallion broke through his board fence, galloped
toward my mare and with a leap mounted my mare with me still in the
saddle. This all happened so quickly I had no time to react. Suddenly
I found myself pinned to my saddle under the massive heaving chest
of the crazed stallion. With adrenaline driven effort I was able to
pull my legs out from under the stallions gripping front legs and
scramble out over the neck of my mare. All the while the stallion’s
owner was beating him frantically trying to dislodge the stallion
from my mare which only added more chaos to the already out of control
situation. You can bet this skinny 13 year old cowboy was shaking
in his boots after this harrowing experience.

Don’t
think of a stallion as just another horse. A stallion is a whole different
animal with an entirely different way of thinking and completely different
motivations from the mare or gelding. The stallion reacts instinctively
based on his primal drive to breed and to protect his territory.

A
good friend of mine in Wyoming, who is a very experienced rancher
and natural horsemanship trainer, raised and trained an excellent
stallion. He rode him for years on the ranch and in the mountains.
He handled and fed him daily without incident until one evening with
absolutely no provocation the stallion attacked him. He had just finished
pouring his feed into his bucket and was walking out of the paddock
when the stallion suddenly charged toward him and in an instant the
stallion had clamped his teeth into the back of my friends’
upper arm. The stallion quickly lifted this large man into the air
and shook him like a rag doll then literally tossed him out of the
paddock with most of his triceps muscle still in the horse’s
mouth.

A
stallion’s actions are a direct result of how he specifically
perceives the events around him. The reality of these events may be
quite different than his perception of them. The most innocent action
on our part may, for some reason, be perceived by the stallion as
a threat or a challenge, in which case he then immediately proceeds
to act accordingly.

In
an effort to be a voice of common sense, please take this information
into consideration if you are a stallion owner or if you are thinking
of owning a stallion. Every horse, but the stallion even more so,
requires you to be a confident, consistent leader never displaying
reactions of fear, impatience, anger, confusion, uncertainty or violence
of any kind. You must always be emotionally fit and prepared to be
“the better horse” in assuming your leadership role. In
this way your horse can be at peace under your benevolent guidance.